Gear chain



Aug. 7, 1923. 3,463,789

IE. 1. BRADDOCK GEAR CHAIN Filed May 22 1920 IN VEN TOR.

QM. Mzm WM,

A TTORNE Y.

Fatented Aug. 3', i923.

Uhll'llEl/l EDWARD It. BEADDUCK, 53F WINCIEUEfiTER, HASQAGSEEUfiETTfd.

GEAR @HAXEN.

Application tiled may 22, M20. derial ll'o. w ttltl.

To all whom. it may concern Be it known that l, EDWARD ll. Bnannocn, a citizen of the United States, residing in Winchester, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an limprovement in Gear Chains, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a gear chain and has for its object to provide a gear chain, which is capable of being used with the standard gears commonly found on the market, whereby the standard gears are enabled to be used in many places or on jobs where specially cut gears and chains are now required.

The invention further has for its object to provide a gear chain which is of increased strength and can be produced at a minimum on ense.

n accordance with this invention the gear chain is composed of links provided 95 with gear teeth and pivotally connected together, with the pivots for the links located in the pitch line of the teeth of said links, which pitch line corresponds with the pitch line of the teeth 'of the gear with so which the gear teeth of the chain co-operates.

lhe toothed links of the said gear chain may be composed of a plurality of members or of a sin le member, as will be described.

These an other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Fig. 1 represents two toothed links of a gear chain embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 represents a standard gear and a greater length of gear chain than that shown in Flg. 1.

Fig. 3, a view of a sm le toothed link.

Fig. l, a plan view 0t a portion of the co gear chain.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4-, incluslve, a represents a standard gear provided with teeth 7) whose pitch line is represented by the circle 0, and 11 represents a gear chain embod ing this invention and esigned to be use with said gear.

The gear chain d shown in Figs. 1 to 4 comprises links, each composed of a plurality of members 10, which are provided with (ill teeth 12 and arms 13. The tooth l2 of each link member is provided with the same pitch as the pitch of the standard gear a with which it is to be used and has connected with it by the pivot pin it the arm 13 ot the next adjacent link of the chain. The

arm 13 is not designed to engage the teeth 5 of the gear a and is provided with a circular opening 15, whose center is locatedin the pitch line ot the tooth 12 ot the links of the gear chain, and therefore in the pitch line of the gear a, as clearly represented in Figs. 1 and 2.

The tooth 12 of one link member is pivoted to the arm 13 of an adjacent member by the pivot pin 14:, which is passed through the opening 16 in the tooth and through the opening 15 in the arm 13, and in the construe tion shown in Figs. 1, 2 and a, each link of the chain is composed of a plurality oil members herein shown as five in number, whose teeth 12 are mounted on a common pivot pin upon which are also mounted the arms 13 ot ve preceding link members.

By reference to Fig. 2, it will be observed that the teeth of those link members in mesh with the teeth of the gear a have their ivot pins in the pitch line of the gear w 'ch is represented through the center of the pivot pins 14:.

In the construction hereinshown, it will be noticed that the pivot connecting the gear tooth of one member of the gear chain is in the pitch line of the teeth of said chain, and that this pitch line corresponds with the pitch line of the teeth of the gear with which it co-operates, and therefore a single gear chain may be used with gears of ditfen ent sizes but having the same pitch of teeth.

lit will be observed that each link of the gear chain is provided with a single gear tooth which engages the teeth out the gear and has a pivotal connection with the neat adjacent link of the chain on the pitch line of the gear As a result, the gear chain herein described will cooperate and pro rly mesh with the common gear of stan ard pitch, thereby avoiding the necessity of cutting the gear to fit the chain, which is the ractice now commonly employed when it Is desired to use a gear chain with a gear.

Because the gear chain herein described does mesh properly with the standard gear, it enables the latter to be used in many y the circle 0 which passesv llhli places where now i6; requires speeiaHy cut gems and Chaim, and iheeeby ena-bies cermm jabs m ibe peefermed at e mimmem cesfi',

By reference to the drawing, it, will be seen thee the gear teeth er the chain 00- operate with (the teeth 0f ehe gear in the same manner as the teeth of a eo-ope'mting gear, and faherefere can be run 1n eieher dieeeiien.

1. As an improved amicie @f manufacture, a gear chain eemposed 01? links having gear fieeth and arms smailer than said gear teeth, with the gear mom 0% one link pivotafly connected with the smaller arm of an adjacent link substantiaily en the pitch line 0?? gear teeth.

2. As an impmvm article 0% manufacture, a gear chain composed of links ha ving gear teem, each link having a single Math and an arm smaller than said *weth which is pivemfiy eennected Wish the smafler aim of an adjacent iink substsmiiafly 0m @he pitch link of said tooth.

In eestimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

EDWARD I. BRADDOGK. 

